About this episode
Biologist Lauren O’Connell studies poisonous frogs, but not just the toxins that make them dangerous. She also studies the neuroscience of their complex parenting. She’s learned that tadpoles recognize their mothers by smell and do a “begging dance” when hungry, and that the frogs produce a protein that protects them from their own poisonous chemistry. That protein could help treat overdoses in humans, O’Connell tells host Russ Altman on this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everything podcast.Have a question for Russ? Send it our way in writing or via voice memo, and it might be featured on an upcoming episode. Please introduce yourself, let us know where you're listening from, and share your question. You can send questions to thefutureofeverything@stanford.edu.Episode Reference Links:Stanford Profile: Lauren O'ConnellConnect With Us:Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything WebsiteConnect with Russ >>> Threads / Bluesky / MastodonConnect with School of Engineering >>> Twitter/X / Instagram / LinkedIn / FacebookChapters:(00:00:00) IntroductionRuss Altman introduces guest Lauren O’Connell, a professor of biology at Stanford.(00:03:34) Why Poison Frogs?Lauren shares what led her to focus her research on poison frogs(00:05:16) Parenting Styles in FrogsThe diverse parental strategies across frog species.(00:08:36) The Role of Opioids in ParentingThe signalling factors in the frog brain that regulate bonding,(00:10:05) Hormones & Gender RolesThe influence of testosterone and estrogen on caregiving behaviors.(00:11:34) Implications for Human ResearchHow studying frogs reveals basic neural blueprints of parenting.(00:13:23) Tadpole’s CommunicationThe neural circuits behind tadpole communication and behavior.(00:15:10) Autism Gene Experiments in TadpolesHow genetic
